It’s been Oasis’ summer. A barnstorming return to live performances, universal acclaim, even a revival of Britpop fashion. And seeing the brother reunite at Wemlbey was one of my 2025 highlights – and honestly, it might even rank as the best gig I’ve ever attended.
The band’s focus on the early years in those concerts – essentially the first two albums and early singles/B sides, with only Little By Little from the 21st century – was smart and well-judged. There’s no question that the first 3 years or so are really Oasis in their absolute pomp. That doesn’t mean to say there were no gems on the later albums – Little By Little is a good example – but most lists of their greatest songs is dominated by the early years.
I’ve had a go here – like any such list, mine changes depending on mood and vibe. Like seeing them at Wembley, my list is above all a reminder of what a magnificent band Oasis really were. That combination of swagger, optimism, chutzpah and great tunes brilliantly executed is reflected in the fact that 30 years later, kids are still singing their songs. And – I’ll come back to this a few times below – Noel at his best wrote some doozer lyrics.
So here, in reverse order, is my list of their 30 greatest songs – feel free to share yours!
30. D’ Yer Wanna Be Spaceman? (1994)
A great early B-side (to Shakermaker), this was the era when Noel just seemed to be churning out one brilliant throwaway tune after another – this one doen’t even make the much-loved B-sides compilation, The Masterplan. (We’ll come back to a major omission from that later, too.)
29. (What’s The Story?) Morning Glory (1995)
‘All your dreams are made, when you’re chained to the mirror and the razor blade’. The title track to their second album comes in with an aplomb and energy that never leaves. It’s Oasis at their most shouty and bombastic.
28 . Bring It On Down (1994)
Alan McGhee describes hearing this live as ‘the moment I knew they were special’. It’s a visceral cry of rage – ‘You’re the outcast, You’re the underclass’ – and still going down a storm live in 2025.
27. Digsy’s Dinner (1994)
The lyrics may be a daft tale about throwing up lasagne, but like the later earworm She’s Electric, it almost defines catchy. ‘These could be the best days of our lives’ is such an optimistic, heartlifting line and the whole thing is just a perfect slice of rock pop.
26. Hello (1995)
The perfect reunion opener, it’s actually one of their most underrated songs – definitely evocative of Slade, before they go full Gary Glitter at the end (which they maybe wouldn’t have done a few years later).
25. Stay Young (1997)
One of many great Oasis B-sides – this one for D’ You Know What I Mean?’ – and one of many examples of how Noel Gallagher in his prime wrote lyrics that capture a universal feeling or sentiment in a simple and immediate way few others can – in this case the desire to ‘stay young and invincible‘ and the perhaps autobiographical at the time ‘Come what may, we’re unstoppable’.
24. Lord Don’t Slow Me Down (2007)
One of the real gems of the later years, this non-album single evokes The Who and was released to promote the documentary of the same name. Even if they had slowed down since the 90s, this brought back a taste of their triumphant period.
23. Sad Song (1994)
Not even a B-side but a bonus track from Noel’s inasanely produtive period, it’s a beautiful and reflective tune and an early example of how some Oasis songs are better suited to his voice than Liam’s.
22. Little By Little (2002)
Another example here. Heathen Chemistry is in my view the best of the post-Morning Glory studio albums and it’s no surprise that this Noel-led singalong became a staple of his solo sets – and of course, the 2025 tour.
21. Songbird (2002)
From the same album, a gorgeous love song written by Liam was not what anyone expected at the time, but here it is.
20. Talk Tonight (1995)
The first Oasis ‘split’ actually came in 1995 when an exaperated Noel walked out after a chaotic US gig and wrote this song about the woman who he said ‘saved’ him. A B-side of their first UK number 1, Some Might Say – and a better song.
19. Columbia (1994)
A surprise miss from the 2025 set, this was the opener in those early glory years, including at Knebworth. Another great example here of Noel’s simple but evocative lyrics ‘I can’t tell you the way I feel, because the way I feel is oh so new to me’.
18. (It’s Good) To Be Free (1994)
Another brilliant B-side, another memorable Noel Gallagher line: ‘It’s the little things that make you so happy’. Again, it’s not profound – it just captures something you feel in your soul (if you have one!) and that kinda makes it profound.
17. Going Nowhere (1997)
And another. Apparently written in the late 80s before Oasis even existed as Noel dreamt of stardom ‘I’m gonna buy me a motor car, maybe a Jaguar, maybe a plane or a day of fame’ and wonders why his life is ‘so tame’.
16. The Importance of Being Idle (2005)
Oasis’ last number one single, and voted best song of 2005 by readers of Q magazine, it’s so close to the Kinks that it feels like pastiche. It was a sharp reminder that Oasis were still capable of brilliance. The same style would be reflected in Noel’s solo debut single, The Death Of You and Me.
15. Stop Crying Your Heart Out (2002)
A glorious, moving singalong to the downhearted, which became the BBC’s choice of theme for England’s 2002 World Cup exit – and for me, the best of the post-glory years Oasis songs.
14. Married With Children (1994)
Brilliantly droll closer to Definitely Maybe, probably early Oasis at their most Beatlesesque (though the general comparison is overplayed). Smart, witty lyrics ‘I hate the way that even know you know you’re wrong, you say you’re right’ and ‘I hate the way that you are so sarcastic and you’re not every bright’ – understated, underrated song.
13. Cigarettes And Alcohol (1994)
Barnstorming and brilliant and more dreams of stardom, peppered with a demand to just ‘make it happen’ – ‘You could wait for a lifetime to spend you days in the sunshi-ine’ . Liam at his most snarling, Noel at his cleverest – yes it’s the riff from Get It On, but that just adds to its charm – everything here is turned up to 11.
12. Whatever (1994)
A stand-alone single in between the two great albums, it’s up there with the finest tunes – ‘It always seems to me, You only see what people want you to see.’ Uplifting, optimistic and one of those songs that just evokes happiness.
11. The Masterplan (1995)
‘Take the time to make some sense of what you want to say’. Simply gorgeous. That this song, Wonderwall, Round Our Way and Underneath The Sky were all on one EP says a lot for Noel’s prolific songwriting at the time.
10. Acquiesce (1995)
Another great B-side – another one from the no 1 Some Might Say EP that was better than the lead single. One of the most iconic, stomp along, triumphant Oasis anthems: ‘I don’t know what it is that makes me feel alive; I don’t know how to wake the things that sleep inside.’
9. Rock n Roll Star (1994)
What a way to announce a stunning debut album – those first few bars promise something special and the rest of the song does not disappoint. Again, Noel dreaming of stardom, Liam belting and sneering out the words. Brilliant.
8. Supersonic (1994)
And what a way to announce yourself to the world: Oasis first single was one of those ‘WTF’ moments in pop history, you simply had to sit up and take notcie. Lyrically one of Noel’s best: ‘I want to be myself, I can’t be no-one else’ and ‘She’s sniffing in a tissue, selling the Big Issue’. among the best lines. Apparently written in a few minutes with a G&T, hence the gin and tonic reference.
7. Slide Away (1994)
A huge fan favourite and plenty would have this at #1. A genuine love song about Noel’s stormy relationship with his then girlfriend and that iconic ‘shi-ine’ again from his brother: ‘Let me be the one who shines with you’.
6. Wonderwall (1995)
It’s so ubiquitous now that it’s hard to remember how stunning this song was when it came out. A step change in the battle of Britpop, Noel’s tender lyrics put through Liam’s attitude factory showed a side to the band that blew radio listeners away . There is a reason songs get played so often, you know. And again, the beautiful simplicty of ‘I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now’ and ‘There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don’t know how.’
5. Half The World Away (1994)
Reportedly Noel’s favourite B-side and made famous as the theme to The Royle Family, it’s another massive crowd favourite as Noel – again – wistfully dreams of leaving town and finding a better life.
4. Don’t Look Back In Anger (1995)
Every bit as iconic as Wonderwall, Noel has never been in better voice in another super-charged anthemic singalong. More cheeky theft – this time the opening bars of Imagine and even a quote from John Lennon – ‘They said the brains I had went to my head’ – it took on new meaning as an anthem following the Manchester bombings. At this stage, Oasis were just unstoppable.
3. Live Forever (1994)
Liam’s favourite to sing, Noel’s moment of realisation that they might be really on to something special. Another than many would rate as the best of their best, it’s a masterpiece from start to finish. ‘Maybe I will never be all the things that I wanna be’ and ‘You and I are gonna live forever’ – simple, beautiful words again.
2. Champagne Supernova (1995)
There is no better rock pop anthem than this – another of those that just elevated Oasis so far above their alleged rivals that it felt like game over. Drunk lads and ladettes hugging in a circle bellowing ‘Where were you when we were getting high?’ – this song felt like a focal point of the 90s. And has there been a better description of being off your face than ‘Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball’? (If you don’t get it, you’ve not been there!)
- Round Are Way (1995)
‘Yer what?’, I hear you say? But for me, this song (complete with Slade-like comedy spelling) is the ultimate Oasis song, the one where you really see McGhee’s description of their second album as ‘a council estate singing its heart out’. It”s glorious from start to finish: reflecting the ebullience of the band’s rise with a reflection on their childhood; 25-a side football matches in which the ‘next goal wins’, meeting at the dole office to sign on ‘just before the staff clock in’. And a rousing, immediate chorus that just sweeps you along. It’s a mystery – in fact a travesty – that this song did not make the afore-mentioned B-side collection. It’s not just their best B-side, it’s their greatest song – for me, anyway.
Rory writes 